High School Scrapbook
by Fenris242
Summary: Cameron starts paging through a scrapbook from high school and finds a mysterious cassette...after listening, she starts to question her current relationship.  COMPLETE
1. The Tape

A/N: this is an idea that lind and i came up with...this is set in the new season, but there isn't really any spoilers in this chapter...the technical mumbo jumbo is courtesy of lind...she stacked the deck and dealt a hand...of which she then interpreted because i don't know how to do this stuff...so thanks lind for the great assist...this wouldn't have been possible without you...and guys & gals, please let me know what you think so I know if I should continue this or not...one more quick note...Jen, please do not make fun of me...it was the only name i could think of...probably because she was nagging me to make drinks when i was trying to write...

-Fen

* * *

It was Cameron's day off, and she had decided that she wasn't going to spend it cleaning her apartment, doing laundry, or anything else that would be considered constructive. Instead, she was sitting on her couch, wrapped in her favorite blanket - the one with the unicorn on it that she got when she was in kindergarten from her Nana – with her high school scrapbook sitting in her lap. It had been years since she'd pull the book out of her cedar chest. She remembered making the book with her best friend, Madison. They'd spend the entire summer after their freshman year making it and added to it every month from their sophomore year through senior year. Finished, it was about four inches thick.

Looking at the cover, Cameron felt a little bad about fighting with Madi over the book after senior year. Madi wanted to keep it, so it wouldn't get lost as Cameron went off to college and med school. She didn't want the book being ruined, or forgotten in a dorm room somewhere. But Cameron fought to keep the book. It was one of the deciding factors in their ruined friendship.

Cameron had gone to Madi's house when she wasn't home and told Madi's mom that she forgot one of her tapes in Madi's room. Once by herself, she searched the room for the scrapbook and escaped without a question. Madi never talked to Cameron again. To this day, the only way Cameron knew anything that was going on with Madi, was if she called home. Cameron's mom would fill her in on what was going on in the neighborhood. Which included Madi's family that lived just two blocks down the road.

Cameron opened the book and brushed a hand over the picture on the first page. She remembered that day as if it were yesterday. It was taken the last day of their freshman year. They'd asked their homeroom teacher to take the picture. Cameron laughed at her hair 90s hairstyle. It was just ridiculous. "Well, at least I wasn't wearing my hat like a homie." She defended herself.

As she paged through the book, she smiled at some of the pictures, outright laughed at others, and some brought tears to her eyes. So much had happened in those four years of high school. So much she wanted to remember, and some she wanted to forget.

She turned the page, and laughed whole-heartedly. It was a picture from their sophomore year. Madi and Cameron only had one class together that entire year. Their US History class. More than any other class, they were glad to have each other in that one. They'd both had a major crush on their teacher, and figured the other would stop them from doing something stupid in front of him. The picture that caused Cameron to laugh so hard was taken a couple days before the semester was over. They'd snuck a camera into class and asked if they could take a couple pictures in order to remember the class, and to put in their scrapbook. _Please, Mr. Evans. I swear I won't tell anyone._ Cameron remembered begging, since the school had a strict policy against cameras.

He'd agreed as long as they took picture of the whole class and make sure that he got a copy of it. What he didn't know was that their actual plan was take pictures of Mr. Evans when he wasn't paying attention to add them to their scrapbook. "Oddly enough, you're still very attractive." She said, turning a page.

Something fell onto her lap as she looked at the pictures of the Junior/Senior prom that they were the only sophomores at. She flipped the page as she picked up the lost item. It was a small cassette – like that from a voice recorder – that was labeled _Senior New Hope Trip_. Cameron flipped through the pages to find the corresponding page. It was the trip she'd told herself she'd never forget. But here she was, not knowing what the contents of this tape were. That was until she read the little note next to where the cassette was taped. _Lady Skylar's Session._

Cameron got up and walked to her kitchen. Opening the junk drawer she pulled out her voice recorder and popped the tape in. "Hopefully this thing still works." She pressed play.

"Is it on? Make sure you hide it. They don't let these in there." Cameron heard Madi's voice for the first time in many years. She let the tape continue to play.

* * *

"Come on. Hurry up. Katie already went in. This _Lady_ is crazy. She said Katie was gonna have like five kids or something like that. Now, if she were telling you that, I'd totally believe. Especially since you and Dean seem to be getting quite close." Madi said, as she and Cameron walked into the fortuneteller's store. Cameron stumbled up the steps as Madi drug her in. "She's next." Madi announced.

"Okay. Please come in." A woman, who could only be explained as being Lady Skylar said, motioning for Cameron to follow her. Madi went to follow. "Sorry. No spectators." Lady Skylar said, pointing to a sign that hung next to the doorway draped in beads.

Cameron followed the fortuneteller into a room draped in red and black velvet. The room looked so soft and cozy. Even the incense that was burning wasn't overwhelmingly strong. "Please sit." Lady Skylar motioned to a chair, and took a seat across the table from Cameron. "Are you ready to begin?" She asked.

"I guess." Cameron replied, not really sure why she was there. She didn't even believe in fortunetellers, and from what she'd gotten from others that had been in there, this lady was a quook.

Lady Skylar pulled out a black velvet bag, and pulled the drawstring open. She removed a deck of cards from inside. "Please look through these, and pick out the animal that you associate with the most." She handed Cameron the cards. "Whether it be an animal you've always loved, or possibly a beloved pet. Maybe you have a kinship with a certain animal. If you have an animal in mind, and don't see it in the deck, please pull the blank card." Cameron did as instructed and handed the woman the deck of cards with her pick on top. "Very nice choice. This is the strongest card in the deck. Ruler of the Purity Spiral." Lady Skylar placed the Unicorn card face up on the table. "Now, please shuffle the deck until you are satisfied." She handed the cards back to Cameron.

Cameron shuffled two times and handed the deck back. She knew how these fortunetellers worked with their cold readings. She wasn't going to say anymore than she needed to. She wanted to see what this woman said, and how false it truly was.

"Because you seem quite skeptical, I am going to do a full reading for you, no charge." Lady Skylar said, before she started to place the cards out on the table. She placed one card across the Unicorn card. Then below the Unicorn, she made three rows of three cards. She placed another card across the middle card of each row. "Where would you like to start? Relationships, Life, or Career?" Lady Skylar asked.

"Life." Cameron replied, not going into any detail.

"Sounds good. This first card represents what role your life will take. And the Wolf is your card. Unlike what most people think, the Wolf is not a bad card. For she takes care of her young, and teaches her siblings. She cares for her elders, and offers nurture to any who need it. I can tell by this card that you are a very nurturing person. You have always been this way and you always will be. This card, on my right, represents the role you want your life to take. And by the looks of things, the Otter fits perfectly. You want your life to be carefree. You want to be able to enjoy everything, and not have to worry about work. You want to be able to play and have no consequences. This middle cross card is your destiny. An as the Swan finds her wings, so shall you. The Spider, under your Swan represents how you make these things happen. And by creating a balance between wanting to be there for everyone else, and taking time for yourself, you will be able to spread those wings wide, and soar above all else."

Cameron sat there. She didn't expect something so in depth without any assistance. She assumed the fortuneteller would ask her all sorts of questions, and make deductions from that. She didn't expect her to actually be a fortuneteller. "Relationships." Was Cameron's only response.

"I understand." Lady Skylar replied, knowing the teenager was still skeptical. "But I was hoping you would have chosen career first." She said, and focused on the cards once again. "This first card is your soul mate. The one person you are destined to be with. And the Bull will compliment you very well. Your Purity as the Unicorn will not be squashed by the fierceness and strength of the Bull, but quite contrary, will blossom. The Bull will back you up when you are most susceptible. He will, I mean, he or she," she corrected, "will protect you with his or her strength so that your pureness can stay intact." Lady Skylar paused for a moment. "And this card, on the right, is your first love. Please understand that I do not know if your first love and your soul mate are the same person. All I can tell is what the cards say. And the Hound is a perfect first love. He is loyal, and kind. Will worship everything about you, and will help you through your hard times. He will be the rock that is at your back. And this is where I regret having decided to do this spread for you."

"What?" Cameron asked.

"The crossed card is the outcome of your first love. And as the Raven can very often represent many good things, when he is placed on top of the Bear, only bad things can come. I absolutely regret saying this, but I believe that your first love will die. You will, as the Bear suggests, go into a hibernation of sorts. You will shut your heart down, and try to move on, but you can only do that once you wake up in the spring, ready to see the world again."

Cameron pushed to stand up. She'd had enough of this. This woman was pulling things out of her ass, just to upset Cameron because she wouldn't play along in the little game and give her hints to make her job easier. "Please don't leave until I'm done. There isn't much left, but I would like to finish." Cameron ground her teeth, and crossed her arms as she sat back down. "Thank you. Your career is next. Your goals are represented by the Toad, and as that doesn't sound very appealing, if you look closely you will see a very large jewel in the middle of the Toad's head. That is because the Toad is a protector of knowledge. Which means, I see you will be attending a lot of school in order to reach your goals. Maybe a doctor or lawyer. Something like that. On the right, the Lion represents what you will achieve. And as Ruler of the Strength Spiral, he represents great achievements. Whatever it is that you decide to do, you will be very good and successful at it. Possibly the best at it. And here, the Crane represents how you will be able to achieve these goals. With strength, persistence, and patience, anything can be accomplished. Our dear friend the Squirrel shows how you will deal with all these things in your career. The best way to explain the representation of the squirrel is in a short fable.

"In ancient times, the squirrel was considered the messenger between the heavens and the underworld. In regards to the tree of life, the branches and all that which were above it were the heavens, and were guarded by the eagle. The roots and that which were below were the underworld and guarded by the snake. Therefore, the trunk of the tree of life was the here and now. Since the eagle stuck to the sky, and the snake to the ground, there had to be someone in the middle to relay messages. So the squirrel would run to the top of the tree and take messages from the eagle down to the snake and vice versa. The only problem was that sometimes, the squirrel would be mischievous, and change the messages while he ran down the tree trunk.

"And in keeping with that, you will be a medium between two worlds. Possibly a medium between patient and doctor." Lady Skylar relaxed slightly in her chair. "And finally, there is the one card that I have not mentioned yet. The cross which crosses your Unicorn. The Brock, or badger. He is fierce when needed, and strong when necessary. But generally, he is a laid back creature, not letting much phase him, unless his attention is called, and things need to be righted before the wrongs become too much."

* * *

Cameron clicked the voice recorder off. She hadn't even remembered about that day. That trip. That visit to the fortuneteller. She couldn't quite believe just how true many of the things she had doubted at the time were. Listening to the tape made Cameron think about what the fortuneteller had said. What had already come true? And more importantly, what hadn't?

Was Chase her Bull?


	2. The Second Reading

A/N: since you guys seemed interested in this one, i've decided to continue it...it is my goal to get at LEAST another chapter of this up tonight...if not more than one...as well as another chapter of Clinic Duty for those reading that one as well...thanks for reading as always, and please leave a review so i know what you guys think so far...also, i have a new poll on my profile...please take a look and vot eif you'd like!

-Fen

* * *

Cameron spent the following week listening to the tape every night, numerous times. At work, she'd find herself daydreaming while trying to conduct a patient exam. She just couldn't get the tape and what the psychic said out of her mind. It was impossible for her to predict the future so accurately. Impossible. 

It was during a rectal exam that the light bulb went off above Cameron's head. Could it be that Cameron had subconsciously made decisions based on the information she had received from the psychic? That she had somehow memorized the b reading and was making life decision based on it? There was only one way for Cameron to find out the truth. She had to go see the psychic again. If the psychic gave her a different reading that it had been Cameron's subconscious.

So on her lunch break, Cameron went to her supervisor and asked to use one her emergency personal days for the following day. "I'm sorry. I'd love to give it to you, but I have two people on vacation, and I really need you here."

"But I'm using an emergency personal day. I'm supposed to be able to take those whenever I need to." Cameron fought back. She really needed to get this over with. She couldn't spend another week dwelling on the subject.

"If it was such an emergency, wouldn't you be asking to have the rest of today as well?" Her supervisor asked, in a condescending tone.

Cameron huffed and walked away. There was only one other way to get the day off. She hated going over her boss' head, but if it was the only way, she just had to do it.

* * *

"Dr. Cameron. This is a nice surprise. Aren't you on shift in the ER?" Cuddy asked from behind her desk. 

"I'm on my lunch break." Cameron replied, no so sure she wanted to asked the Dean of the hospital what she had come up to ask.

"What can I do for you?" Cuddy asked, ever politely.

"Well, it's just…I…" Cameron paused to regain her composure. She hadn't really thought about how she was going to ask the question, just knew that if anyone could give her the day it would be Cuddy. "I asked to take an emergency personal day tomorrow." She finally got out.

"That's fine. So what's the problem?" Cuddy asked.

"I've been denied because there are two people on vacation." Cameron replied.

"But it's an emergency personal day." Cuddy replied.

"That's what I said." Cameron replied.

"The whole point is so that you can take them as you need them. I'm sure the ER can handle a day without Allison Cameron." Cuddy said, opening the left middle drawer of her desk. She pulled out a carbon copy tablet, and started jotting something down. When she was done signing the paper, she pulled off the top two copies. "Here. Give this to Dr. Kunkle, and take the rest of the day as well as tomorrow." Cameron took the paper and headed for the door. She had her hand on the handle, when Cuddy said, "You were right to come to me."

* * *

Cameron spend the rest of the afternoon listening to the tape over and over as she jotted down exactly how the cards had laid out the last time she was there. She memorized where every card was and exactly what they meant. She listened to the tape to count how many times she had shuffled the deck. Two. Then she went on mapquest to get exact directions on how to get there. 

By the time she was satisfied with her preparedness, it was nine o'clock at night, and she was wiped out. She decided to call it an early night, and went to sleep, dreaming about the outcome.

* * *

Cameron drove into New Hope and quickly found a side street to park on. She grabbed her voice recorder and started to walk the streets. Her only hope was that Lady Skylar was still in business. She started to walk down the main strip and recognized some of the shops. She had come to New Hope a lot when she was younger. She and Madi loved walking through the shops, and were considered regulars by many of the store owners. She finally saw the familiar sign. It was a hanging sign above the entrance door. There was a large carved sun with a moon behind it in beautiful yellows, oranges, blues and purples. Just under the design was the simple name. _Lady Skylar's_. "She's still here." Cameron said to herself, extremely excited. 

She walked into the building and waited to be greeted. "Are you here for a reading, or just browsing?" Lady Skylar asked, coming out of a back room. The front room of the place was setup as a nice shop, having many herbs, and spices, cauldrons, spell books, brooms, athamas, Tarot decks, as well as different stones and gems and incense. Cameron hadn't remembered so much being in this room.

"Yes. I would like a reading." Cameron replied.

"Well, then please follow me." Lady Skylar said, and led Cameron back to the black and red velvet room. It was so strange how the room was exactly as Cameron remembered it. Lady Skylar pulled out the black velvet bag and pulled out a deck of cards. "What type of reading would you like me to do?" She asked.

Cameron had put her hand out, expecting to take the cards, and was put off by the question. "I thought I had to pick out a card?" She questioned before she could think it was a bad idea.

Lady Skylar smirked, and put the cards back into the black velvet bag. She turned around and slipped a hand behind the red velvet there. She returned with another black velvet bag. "I haven't used this deck in a very long time. I switched to a traditional Tarot deck after I received complaints that the _Beasts of Albion_ reading weren't real because they weren't a true fortune telling deck." She paused for a moment. "When in actuality, I've found that this deck is ten times more accurate than the Tarot deck. Anyone can learn Tarot if they put enough time into studying a book and memorizing facts about cards. But the Beasts are much harder. They are for a person who truly can predict. The only instructions listed with this deck explain how to meditate with each card. It took weeks, months, years for me to perfect the art of reading the Beasts." She paused again. "But that is more information than you need to hear. Sorry, my old age has begun to make me babble."

"You're not old." Cameron replied, noting that the woman before her couldn't have been much older than herself. At the very most she was five years older than Cameron.

"Well, let's get this show on the road." She handed the deck to Cameron. "Please pick one and then shuffle the deck." Lady Skylar instructed.

Cameron did as asked and handed the deck back to the fortune teller. She watched as Lady Skylar started flipping the cards. The first cards she flipped were the first row under the unicorn. Cameron sat in amazement as she flipped the cards and crossed the center card. Then flipped three more cards, and crossed the center card. And then, three final cards with the center one being crossed. Then she crossed one card over the Unicorn.

Bull, Bear, Hound, Raven. Wolf, Spider, Otter, Swan. Toad, Squirrel, Lion, Crane. Brock.

The cards were identical.


	3. Who is the Bull?

A/N: as promised here is the next chapter...i'm taking a quick break from writing - need to clear my head - and then i'll start writing the next chapter of clinic duty...i just can't write for hours straight, it fries my brain...

-Fen

* * *

Cameron didn't hear Lady Skylar ask where she wanted to start. Cameron couldn't get over the fact that the cards were exactly the same. Not that they were the same cards in different positions, but that they were the same cards in exactly the same positions. Was it possible? Not exactly sure how to continue, Cameron did the only thing she could think of, she was honest. Pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket, she started, "You probably don't remember, but I was here years ago. A friend of mine forced me to come in and have you do a reading. I was very skeptical."

"You're right, I don't remember you. But then again, I have many people come in here every day." Lady Skylar interrupted. "What is it that is confusing you?" She asked.

Cameron looked at the woman for a moment. She was very perceptive. "Well, I kinda broke the rules. You see, my friend wanted to come in, but your sign says that spectators aren't allowed. My friend knew this, and had me put a voice recorder in my pocket." Cameron could tell this was annoying Lady Skylar, but she had to get this out. She hoped that if she got it all out, that maybe Lady Skylar could read more from the cards. "Well, we put the tape in a scrapbook, and when I was going through the scrapbook the other day, the tape fell out. So I listened to it. Not really remembering what was on it. And I can't believe what I heard. You knew my first love, my husband, was going to die and you predicted it. That isn't something that can just be guessed. It's been bugging me since I listened so I came here to have another reading. To see if this was all a coincidence, or if there was something more."

"I see you're still skeptical." Lady Skylar said.

"I can't help it." Cameron said, blushing slightly. "So the reason why I've explained all of this is because as you have dealt these cards, it's identical to all those years ago." Cameron said, finally unfolding the piece of paper, and laying it in front of Lady Skylar for her to see."

After looking over the paper, Lady Skylar replied, "So what is it that you want to know?" It wasn't something she had ever heard of before, but it wasn't something she wouldn't believe in. After all, she was the psychic in the room, and she thoroughly believed in her abilities. She wouldn't have been doing it for as long as she had if she didn't believe.

"I need to know who the Bull is." Cameron replied.

Lady Skylar smiled. "It's amazing how many people come in here, around your age, that don't care about the career or life, but want to know about the relationship. It's good though. It means people are thinking more about love than themselves or money." She moved the piece of paper and started to look at the cards. "To be honest, there is only one way to figure this one out." She paused, and pulled the deck back into her hand. "We'll have to do another spread." She collecting the Unicorn and Bull cards, and placed the others back in the deck. "Please re-shuffle the cards." She instructed and handed Cameron the deck. As Cameron shuffled the cards, Lady Skylar placed the Unicorn in the center of the table and crossed the Bull on top of it.

Cameron handed the cards back to her and waited patiently for Lady Skylar to start reading the cards. The skeptical side of Cameron was quickly melting away.

Lady Skylar started placing the cards down. She made two columns of three on either side of the Unicorn and Bull. "The cards on my left are the attributes associated to you soul mate. The cards on my right represent your relationship with the Bull. Where would you like to start?"

"You decide." Cameron replied quickly. She was anxious to get the reading moving along.

"Okay." Lady Skylar said as she studied the cards. "We'll start with him. The first card will represent his physical attributes, the second his mental, and the last card his emotional attributes." She paused allowing Cameron time to absorb things. "The Hare is a strong beast. Always doing something. Never giving a chance to slow things down. He's constantly doing something. Or planning on doing something. A very active person. An quick witted as the Cockerel suggests as his mental attribute. I don't think I've ever pulled a Cockerel for a mental attribute. There are very few people that could fit that criteria. He is a man that always has a witty remark, and a swift opinion. As if the conversation is completely rehearsed and he already knows what you're going to say before you say it. This way he already knows what he's going to say. He's shaping up to be the perfect man, except for his emotional state. The Hedgehog is a protector. As are the Goose and Crane. But the Hedgehog is the most extreme of the Trine. Your soul mate is a very guarded man. He allows few people to really get close enough to him that he would consider them a friend." She took a long pause as she looked at the other cards on the table. "Have you followed me so far?" Lady Skylar asked.

"Yes." Cameron said shortly. She already had a very good idea who her Bull was. But she wanted to hear the rest. The put the final bit of her skepticism aside.

"Well, then let's continue. Now onto your relationship with the man. This is quite simple. The first card is your past, the second your present and the last is, of course, your future. The Wolf is your past, and at that I would say that one of you was the mentor of the other. I do not know which way that goes," Lady Skylar said, not knowing which was the student and which the teacher. Cameron opened her mouth to confirm the information, but was cut off, "and I honestly don't want to know. If I'm going to squash your skepticism, this needs to be done blindly." She arched her brows and smiled at Cameron. "Your present relationship is represented by the Fox. He is the friend to all in the woods. He isn't the sly and sneaky beast he is made out to be in the fairy tales and fables. He is the kind hearted beast that just wants to be your friend." Lady Skylar said. "So I would say that the two of you are currently in a muted friendship. I'm assuming that is because of the mentor relationship. You can't quite be close friends, but you do at least consider each other friends. Which for him, is a major deal." Lady Skylar paused and looked at the final card. She laughed, amusement evident in her eyes.

"What?" Cameron asked, wanting to know what was so funny.

"Like I'd never seen the Cockerel in the mental attribute, I've never, and I mean never seen the Spider in the future position."

"What does it mean?" Cameron asked, needing to know what it meant.

"Simple. It is what you create. And by 'you,' I mean both of you. It's strange that it doesn't happen more often, but usually, I can at least give the person an idea of what is in store. I do apologize, but I have no idea. So it is what you make it." Lady Skylar replied, fingering the Spider card. "Have I answered your question? Do you know who your Bull is?" She asked, looking at Cameron.

"Yes. You couldn't have made it clearer." Cameron replied. She got up, and dropped a twenty on the table. "Thank you."

Cameron turned to walk out, but was stopped by Lady Skylar's voice, "Please take this." Cameron turned to see her holding up the twenty-dollar bill.

"Surely, you need payment on a reading." Cameron replied.

"I have the feeling you're going to need it more than me." Lady Skylar replied, and forced Cameron to take the bill.

* * *

Cameron left Lady Skylar's, and headed right back to her vehicle. Any other time she would have taken the time to window shop, and possibly buy something. But she had a date to make with her soul mate.

She rounded the corner and saw her car. A cop was standing next to it, righting on a tablet. "What's the problem?" Cameron asked, walking swiftly to her car.

"You parked in front of a fire hydrant." He replied.

"But I was only a couple minutes." Cameron replied, trying to talk her way out of the ticket.

"And in those couple minutes, a fire could have started and the firemen would have had to bust your windows to get to the hydrant." He replied, and handed her the ticket. Cameron looked down and laughed. "Something funny?" The cop asked.

"Not really. You wouldn't understand." Cameron looked at the total due on the ticket. $18.


	4. Paging St Jude

A/M: well here it is...the final chapter...i'm glad you guys have enjoyed this...and i've loved all the long reviews...i do plan on getting out a chapter or two of clinic duty...so please read and leave a review...i do live off them...besides, who else is updating as rapid fire as me?

-Fen

* * *

Cameron drove faster than she normally did. She needed to get back to Princeton, and she had to get back there right now! As she drove, she cursed that teleporting hadn't been invented yet. It would really have come in handy at that moment.

She pulled into her usual spot in front of her apartment building. She had contemplated going straight to the hospital, but decided against it since she was so anxious about the results from her psychic reading. So, instead, she walked the short distance, and then up the steps to her apartment. Opening the door, she dropped her purse just inside and walked to her couch. She flopped down, and turned the TV on.

That lasted three minutes and thirty-four seconds. She turned the TV off, grabbed her keys and purse, and went back down to her car. This time with PPTH as her destination.

* * *

Grabbing the closest spot to the front door, she got out so fast, she forgot to take the seatbelt off and nearly strangled herself. She got out of her car and looked around, hoping no one was around to see. She walked in the front door and directly to the elevators. She was waiting for the bell to ding and the doors to open, when she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Dr. Cameron? I thought you needed the day off?" Cuddy asked. 

Cameron turned around. "I did. I mean do." She stuttered. "I needed to drive out of state this morning, and then I realized I forgot something in my locker. So I had to drive back quick and come get it." She lied.

Cuddy didn't make a comment as she watched Cameron get in the elevator going up instead of the one going down

* * *

Cameron walked down the familiar hallway. She'd walked this same path everyday for over three years. Although, she never walked this exact path with the same purpose. She'd always hoped she'd have this purpose to walk to diagnostics. To _his_ office. But never before did she have a reason to do so. Granted, she still didn't have a _solid_ reason to be doing it. But in her mind it was justified. 

Cameron walked into House's office, and interrupted the conversation he was having with his three new fellows. She glanced into the conference room, and saw Foreman sitting at the table, reading the newspaper. "Some things never change." She thought to herself. She inhaled deeply as she turned her attention back to House. "We need to talk." She said.

"Can't it wait a minute?" House remarked, then continued talking to his fellows.

"No." Cameron interrupted him again. House quirked an eyebrow at her outburst, but nodded for his fellows to leave. They left through the adjoining door to the conference room. Before speaking, Cameron went around the room and drew all the blinds. Then she locked all the doors, including the one out onto the balcony.

"Are you back for that sperm sample?" House snarked, remembering the last time she had come into his office with that determined look on her face.

She didn't where to start. She couldn't think of how to explain to House, of all people, that a psychic said they were soul mates. So she did the first thing that popped into her mind. She pulled the voice recorder out of her purse, and tossed it into his lap. "This was recorded when I was seventeen. And this one was recorded this morning." She said, handing him the tapes. She walked around to the opposite side of his desk and sat down in the chair. House just looked at her with confusion, curiosity and amusement. He'd never seen her so riled. Never. "You put the tape into that, and hit the play button." Cameron told him, not understanding why his curiosity hadn't kicked in yet.

"I know how to use one of these." House replied, putting the first tape into the recorder.

"Coulda fooled me." Cameron replied.

House shook his head as he realized that maybe she had spent too much time as his fellow. He hit play and listened to the first minute of the tape, then turned it off. "You're kidding right?" He asked.

"No." Cameron replied shortly. She was very serious, and the look on her face showed that.

"Come on. A psychic? What unknowledgable knowledge did she fill your head with?" House asked, just as skeptical as Cameron had been before the second reading.

"Humor me. Listen to the tape." Cameron was almost pleading. Almost.

House hit play as he rolled his eyes. He sat back in his chair, and propped his feet up on the desk. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He listened to the entire tape, then hit the stop button. "Come on. You can't possible believe this?" House asked, truly disbelieving that Cameron believed what the psychic said.

"How could she have guessed that my husband would die?" Cameron asked.

"She took a long shot. One out of every twenty students in a graduating class dies in the first five years following high school. If she were right, you'd think her to be an almighty seer of the future. If she were wrong, you'd know she's the fraud that she is. Obviously you fell right into her trap." House replied.

"Then explain the second reading." Cameron said, gesturing to the second tape.

"Wait." House said, with a chuckle. "You went back? _You_ are the reason these people are in business." House smirked, shaking his head.

"I was just as skeptical as you until I went there this morning. Please listen to the second tape."

House decided to humor her, _again_, and popped the second tape into the recorder. Resuming his position with his feet up, head back and eyes closed, House listened to the second tape. He took in all the information, and was able to see what Cameron was seeing, but he still didn't believe. "So you think I'm your soul mate?" House asked, not sure if he was serious or not.

"That's what I'm getting from it."

Before Cameron could continue, House interrupted her, "Paging St. Jude!" He yelled up to the ceiling. "We have another lost cause." He said, turning his gaze back on Cameron.

"She described you to a 'T.' How can you refute that?" Cameron asked.

"She described a person. The fact that she pegged a mentor as your soul mate makes perfect sense. You probably walked in there, looking desperate to find out 'who your bull was.'" House said, pointing at her. "And aside from that, she herself said that she described the perfect man. Therefore, you'd take the your biggest crush," he paused in order to motion in his own direction, "and apply everything she said to me. It makes _perfect_ sense." He finished.

Cameron shook her head. "Fine." She said, her natural high having disappeared by House shooting her down. "I guess I was being foolish." Cameron got up and walked to the door. Before she unlocked it to leave, she turned and looked directly at him. House tried to avoid her gaze, but she waited until he held her gaze to finish. "I just thought that maybe you might want to at least try to create something. But then again, you probably want to continue living your life being the miserable doctor that gets away with anything because he's crippled. One day, that'll get old, and all you'll be is miserable and crippled with no one to grow old with. And then and only then will you have a real reason to be miserable." She unlocked the door, and left his office.

With her head hung low, Cameron left PPTH and returned to her car. She couldn't believe that he wasn't even willing to give it a try. Wait, no. She could believe it. She just didn't want to.

* * *

Cameron didn't feel like going home right away. She didn't want to be left alone in her apartment. She didn't want to be alone. So instead, she drove to the nearest bar. She walked in and took a seat in one of the booths. She pulled out her lap top and ordered a drink. She had no intention of getting drunk. She just didn't want to be alone. Granted, she was still alone, but at least there were people around her. 

She spent the following six hours at the bar. She drank a line of drinks, and had ordered dinner off their menu as well as a couple appetizers. The waitress was nice, and even sat with Cameron on her break. The two talked, and Cameron made sure to leave her a great tip.

* * *

Cameron walked up the steps to her apartment, and unlocked the door. She walked in dropping her purse and keys on the little table next to the door. Walking over, she hit play on the answering machine as she started to strip out of her smoke stained clothes. A nice hot bath sounded like a dream. 

"You have three new messages. First message." The automated voice of the answering machine began reading off the messages. "Allison. It's Mom. I tried your cell, and tried you at work. They said you had taken an emergency personal day. Is something wrong? Do you need me to come there? I was checking on you. We haven't talked this week. Well, just call me back when you get this. Love you. Bye." Cameron hit the delete button and her mom's message ended. "Message deleted."

"I'll call you later." Cameron said to no one in particular.

"Hey. It's me." Cameron immediately recognized the voice as Chase's. She hadn't told him she was taking the day off. "You took an emergency day. Is something wrong? Call me." Cameron hit the delete button again. "Message deleted." Cameron started down the hall as the last message started to play. "Maybe St. Jude has room for two." Cameron stilled at the sound of House's voice. "End of messages."


End file.
